This month we follow the sun to Barcelona in Spain and had the opportunity to sit down with Javier Sterling, our Sales and Business Development Director for Europe, who has been with the company for two years.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
“I have been working in the hospitality industry for two decades and have been involved in sales throughout my career. Besides sales and business development I have also been lucky to gain experience in related fields such as customer management and procurement, which has given me great insights and have made my journey even more rewarding in this dynamic industry.”

What have been some  of your most memorable moments over the past two years?
“I fondly remember the incredibly warm welcome I received from the team when I started at interTouch. I had the privilege to serve our first customers in Europe and help grow the business in the EMEA region over the past two years, which has been a great experience.”

What makes interTouch a great place to work?
“There are several things that truly stand out at interTouch and make the company a great place to work. These include the professionalism of the team, the atmosphere, our shared passion for quality, and the fact that we all work towards a clear vision for guest-facing technologies in hospitality.”

What is the most exciting part of your role?
“For me, the best part of my role is finding solutions that make a difference for hoteliers and their guests as well as our own organisation and seeing the impact of the work we do.”

What do you see as the biggest trends in hotel technology?
“Technologies that help personalise the guest experience as well as make travel safer, easier and more comfortable are here to stay. The global pandemic has further accelerated the adoption of contactless technology that allow guests to use their own devices, including mobile room keys, in-room controls, virtual assistants, entertainment, and casting. In addition, Wi-Fi access remains vital for the guest experience. It’s not just about speed and security, but increasingly about seamless connectivity and roaming.”

“MAC randomisation on mobile devices and the demand for seamless connections with a home-like experience will make access to Wi-Fi over captive portals fade as Passpoint (Hotspot 2.0) technology become the standard in the hospitality industry. This advanced technology enables hoteliers to automatically connect guests to different tiered bandwidth options based on the membership level of the guest in their loyalty programme, as well as offer private networks per guest room. This brings a new range of opportunities that can improve guest loyalty and allow hotels to monetise their Wi-Fi networks.”

What is your favourite business mantra?
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill.

What are your personal key learnings from the Covid-19 pandemic?
“I think we have all realised how fragile life on earth is and how a global crisis can be way closer than we ever thought possible.”

What do you see as the key USPs of interTouch and the key strengths of your team in the region?
“The fact that we are leaders in innovative guest-facing technologies and can offer our customers around the world a very wide range of solutions that make the guest experience better and more seamless, including those developed by our sister companies Nomadix and GlobalReach.”

What advice could you give to young professionals looking to start a career in hospitality technology?
“I would advise young professionals seeking a career in hospitality to trust their abilities and allow themselves to think different and free. There will always be a need for new technology solutions that make hotels smarter, better, greener and more efficient and there is a huge opportunity to shape the concept of the hotel of the future.”

What’s your outlook for the hospitality industry in 2022 and beyond?
“As one of the hardest hit sectors during the global Covid-19 pandemic, hospitality as an industry has been under pressure to find different ways of working across many elements of the hotel guest journey and I believe this will continue in the years to come. It will be interesting to see what the long-term impact on business travel and events will be post pandemic as businesses around the world have adopted teleworking.”